I am a very small-time breeder and have a fairly young breeding program of about eight or nine years. I currently house three dogs and I think the most I've had is seven, plus puppies (which as everyone knows, don't count! hehehe). At this point in time, I am comfortable with four to six Shelties and can handle eight, but I prefer no more than six Shelties.  My dogs live in the house.  They do spend their time outside when I'm at work, but when I am home they are free to be in the house with me.

Maintaining this number of Shelties is what I am comfortable with, but if I had less self-control I'd have more dogs because I love a good Sheltie!  What fun to watch and hold and love and show a really nice example of this wonderful breed! So how do I keep my numbers low and still have a breeding program?  I am very picky about what I keep or allow to carry the Wildwest name and contribute to the breeding pool of Shelties. I don't tolerate any health problems. I don't tolerate severe structural/movement faults. I don't tolerate poor temperaments. The dog has to have outstanding virtue if I am going to keep it or allow it to carry the Wildwest name and leave here with full AKC registration. No plush toys allowed (pretty fluffy dogs with no neck that pitter-patter around the ring instead of exhibiting reach and drive).  A girl might get one or at most two chances to show me she can produce something if she maintains at least some of her balance and promise during what can be the quite gangly and ugly teenage time, but only if she shows me she is a good show dog first. I want Wildwest Shelties to be good in the show ring as well as be good producers. I want them to like showing, performing and "doing" and to be competitive. I want my boys to be the same way.  They must be virtuous, they must have the virtues I value, and they must like being a show dog.

For several years I did not place show prospects.  As time has passed and my confidence has grown in my ability to pick a show prospect from my line (this took about seven years, maybe I am a slow learner or maybe it just took that long because I do have a small breeding program), I have had the good fortune to place a few good show-quality dogs. This has helped me maintain access to the dogs I've bred while minimizing the number of dogs I have at home. I truly believe this takes time and patience and good luck.  Build your reputation--be honest, work hard, study, get your dogs out and shown if you can't do it yourself or are just not good at it, and demonstrate you can produce dogs who win and finish their championships.  Then somehow, you have to find the confidence and trust to let one of the best go to someone to be shown and bred.  This is a scary thing to me.  Most of all, I want my dogs loved, not end up in some situation where they have little human contact or just end up producing litter after litter.

It is a difficult task to  keep the numbers I want, to allow the really good Shelties do indeed get to contribute to the gene pool, and  to ensure that each Wildwest Shelties has a loving home. First and foremost, I  breed for good temperaments and health because I want my dogs to be comfortable in the world AND I want folks to love their Wildwest Sheltie, whether they add him/her to the family when s/he is a youngster or when s/he is retiring from the show ring.

When one of my special group of Shelties is ready to retire, I make every effort to place it into an exceptional home.  When one of my special group of Sheltie puppies doesn't turn out how I was hoping, I make every effort to place into a wonderful home.  When a puppy in one of my litters shows itself to not be breeding quality, I place it into a wonderful home.  I want all of my dogs to end up in homes where they will be loved and cherished and cared for the rest of their lives.

I get very attached to my puppies and even more so to those dogs I have grown up and traveled with and had litters with.  I appreciate greatly their contribution to Wildwest Shelties and to my life.  The decision to place one of my adults is not easy.  Because I want to continue to produce Shelties, I must make that decision so I can make room for the new generation.  To keep numbers low, I have to place my bitches when they have finished the job I needed them to do. If one can be careful about how the dog is placed ... well, I can actually smile about it because I know my beloved Sheltie has a wonderful home where they are loved and live in the lap of luxury.  They've retired to a good home and don't have to work for a living anymore.

I don't breed my girls just to breed them. I try to pick the best boy I can for her, being sure to research her pedigree and the potential sire so I can pick a dog who has the best chance of producing that champion you want. Sufficient testing must be done on the sire and dam so that I feel comfortable with the potential to produce healthy puppies. When the puppies come, I love them and play with them, and I try to not  let a sparkling personality make my decision. I often invite other breeder to look at my litters and give me their opinion about what they see.  As soon as I determine a puppy is better suited to be a companion than a show dog, I find it a good home.  This way I have the time and space to grow out the very best and hopefully contribute to the preservation and betterment of the breed. I am not afraid to place an entire litter if it did not produce a Sheltie that met the goals of the breeding

 In other words, I am ruthless about what I keep! In the long run I am hoping this will results in better litters--healthy AND beautiful AND fun.

That's my 2 cents. :-)